


Requiem: The Apprentice's Beginnings

by SophieJE619



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Butterflies, F/F, F/M, Female Protagonist, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, On the Run, Origin Story, Past Abuse, Playwriting, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Theatre, Warped Beauty Standards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-01-08 05:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21230390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieJE619/pseuds/SophieJE619
Summary: The Apprentice doesn't really have a backstory, since all their memories are those that Asra's helped them remember over the nine year's they've known each other. So here's my origin story for my Apprentice, who's name is Emmcie. (Pronounce it slowly and you'll see why I named her that.)





	1. Prologue

The candle in the window flickers as a quill scratches ink across the most recent page to join a growing stack. The writer at work blows onto the liquid as it dries, so as not to smudge the masterpiece in the making. Over her shoulder, a man with dark red locks watches the words that are written, his uncovered eye taking appreciation for the lack of errors. Finally the writer slows her hand, sending up a glance at her companion. “Well?” She asks. “How does it look, thus far?”

Julian smiles. “I think we’ll have the most exciting play in all of Vesuvia when it’s finished.” He says. “And you’re casting almost everyone as themselves, right?”

“Of course, it’s a true story after all.” She smiles, rereading her work and placing the finished page in the stack of suitable pages. “But part of me wonders if they’ll actually believe this happened.”

“What does it matter if they do or don’t? You’re writing this simply to talk about what happened, aren’t you? And the only people who need to believe that it was real, are those who were involved.” Julian shrugs, settling his face in the crook of her shoulder. The target of the doctor’s affectionate gesture hums in acknowledgment of his words, ignoring the handsome face next to her ear. A comfortable silence falls, as the writing resumes on a new page.

"Hey, you two. Dinner's ready." Asra says, leaning against the door frame with a playful smirk. "Or am I interrupting something?"

"Of course not, Asra." Julian grins at the magician. "I was just enjoying the view of our lovely apprentice at work." The Apprentice smiles knowingly, having picked up on the fact that Julian was looking down the top of her dress a while ago.

"_Our_ apprentice, Ilya?" Asra makes his way to his pair of lovers. "Last I checked, she studies magic under _me_."

"And medicine and theatre under _me_." Julian raises his head to peck Asra's cheek.

"I'm sorry, who's the one writing a play again?" The apprentice sasses, amusement written all over her. The doctor sputters, his pale skin flushing bright red around his face.

Asra laughs at the sight. _"Funny!"_ Faust agrees, as she peaks out of his shirt.

"Are you three coming?" Aisha comes up the stairs at the sound of her son's laughter, a smile on her face. "Mazelinka's getting restless."

"Coming, Mom." Asra says, lightly swatting at Julian to move. The two make it to the door before the magician turns back.

"I'll be down in a minute, you guys. I'm almost finished with this page." The Apprentice says, answering them before they say a word. They nod and go on without her.

Quickly scrawling down the last of her lines for the scene, she sets down the quill and does a quick onceover of her work. But before she knows it, a rowdy redhead has bounded upstairs to drag her down for dinner.

"Emmcie, come on! I'm starving!" Portia says, pulling the girl up out of her chair.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Are her last words, as the room is left empty. On the writing desk lay the abandoned work, finished and ready for publishing.

_'Requiem'_ by Emma Ciella.


	2. Memory

[Memory - Keith Holden](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XUueiKRD66I)

**_My precious girl,_ **

** _Please come to me. I'm afraid my hour draws near, and there's one last thing I must give you before my passing. I know this is a horrible thing to break on your, especially on your birthday, but I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer. I don't know if I'll last the night. Hurry, my child. Come to me._ **

** _~ Auntie Sabina_ **

"Julian," Emmcie called frantically up to the second story. "Asra!" "What's wrong, love?" Julian asked, coming down the stairs with Asra following. "I have to go." Came her whispered response. "My aunt, she's dying." Without another word she was gone, with Asra rushing to the door to see her sprinting down the street. It took Emmcie five minutes to run the usually 25 minute walk to the appartment her aunt owned after vacating the shop to travel the world. If she was dying, she was sure to be here. "Auntie Sabina!" Emmcie called out, practically breaking down the door to the tiny apartment. "In the bedroom, my dear." Came the faint voice of an old woman.

Following the path to the room that held her sleeping place, Emmcie's eyes were glassy with tears at the sight of a once vibrant magician laying feebly on her death bed. But at the sight of her neice, Sabina glowed with joy. "Emmcie," She greeted her. "You got my note. Come here and sit by me." Pulling up a chair, Emmcie sat by her aunt, taking her wrinkled hand. "I'm sorry, Auntie. I stayed away for far too long." "You have no fault with me, my girl. You didn't even know me." Sabina soothed her brother's child, tears forming as she remembered the tragedy of Emmcie's amnesia. "But Asra knew. We should've tried harder to rebuild what you and I had." "You did more than enough, Emmcie. You recognized me as your relative, that's all I needed. But I'm not needed by you, you have Asra and Julian. You have a family and you're happy with them. That's all I could ever want for you."

"Auntie…" Emmcie looked up to hold back the flood. She was not going to cry just yet. "Emmcie, my time is running out, I'm afraid. There's something I must tell you before it's up." Forcing the tears backed down, she looked at her aunt. "Yes?" "I have to tell you I'm sorry. I've kept a horrible secret from you. A secret about where you came from." Sabina started. A pain started tingling in Emmcie's cranium. "When you were resurrected and had no memory, I saw a chance to wipe clean the slate of your childhood. There was such pain there, you told me. But I also knew that you should know how you came to be here, and who you are. Everytime I tried to tell you, you got a horrible headache. But this time I made it different."

"How?" Emmcie asked, ignoring the throbing pain. "I went to the devil, before you defeated him. I made a deal that in exchange for my life, your memory would be restored. You deserve to know. I would never wish such unhappiness on you, but this sort of hatchet should never be burried." "What?!" Emmcie was shocked. "Why would you— "Do not forget where you came from, Emma. Your past is the trail you blaze into the wilderness of your future. You don't deserve to be lost in the wilderness." With a shaking old hand, Sabina touched her fingers to both of Emmcie's eyes, closing them into a void of blinding white light. The pain in her head exploded and then was gone.

She saw everything there was to see. Every memory, from bedtime stories to yelling matches to the days when she met everyone she ever cared for. Every question she ever had: Answered. Every headache she ever got: soothed. Every tear she didn't shed: pouring. Although to Emma it seemed as though she was running through her old memories for hours, Sabina's hand had only been at her eyes for a second before it fell to the bed, lifeless and cold. Overwhelmed, Emma didn't even realize that her aunt was no more, as she sat on that chair and weeped.

The sun was setting when she finally composed herself enough to hear the voices of Asra and Julian calling for her outside on the streets. Going over to the window she got their attention and waved them up to the appartment. "Emmcie, there you are!" Asra wrapped her in a hug, "We've been looking for you!" "Emma." She said, wiping off her face. "What?" Julian asked, while kneeling at Sabina's body. "Emma." She repeated herself. "That was my birth name." "How do you know that?" Asra asked, greatly confused. "I know everything. My aunt… she restored my memory. All of it." Emma explained, looking off into the distance, her hand going to fumble with her wedding finger. "What?! How is that possible?" Julian asked, standing from his place and going to the pair. "Too much," Emma whimpered, breaking down again.

Asra and Julian both had panicked looks on their faces, but they pushed down any other concerns and just held the girl they loved between them, shushing her loud cries, stroking her hair, rocking back and forth. Anything they could do to remind her that she was safe, that they were with her and nothing would happen in that moment. Although she was so busy sobbing she could barely recognize their comforting tactics, Emma was grateful all the same for the physical support, otherwise she would've fallen to the floor. Why do tears get so tiring?

Before anyone knew it, Emma had cried herself to sleep. Julian was the first to notice the gradual quieting of his lady, though still sniffling a little. Gesturing to Asra, he took note of the sleeping girl. "Take her home, Asra. I'll be along after I tend to Sabina's body." "Can you diagnose how she died?" "Probably old age, but if you think Emmc— … Emma, will want to know for certain?" "I'm not sure." Asra shook his head. "For now, just preserve her as best you can." Julian nodded, before helping to arrange Emma in Asra's arms, bridal style.

While Julian stayed behind, Asra started home, glancing at his love with a concerned gaze. When they finally got home, the shop was dark. It wasn't until Emma had been laid in the middle of the bed that Asra felt his familiar slither up his leg. _"Asra!"_ Faust hissed in his ear, happy to see him home again. "Hush, Faust. Emma needs to sleep." _"Emma?"_ She asked, tilting her head. "I'll explain to tomorrow, Faust. But unless she states otherwise, she's Emma." _"Sad?"_ "She'll be okay." Asra said, though he wasn't entirely sure of himself for once.

Before Emmcie died, she'd never told him of her childhood. Apparently, she didn't even tell him the name her parents gave her. For her to withhold such a thing from him was evidence enough that she didn't want to remember it. But now that he's seen how she handled remembering her childhood after forgeting it for three long years, he didn't want to make her talk about it if she wasn't read. Seeing Emmcie cry as hard as she did tonight, that broke Asra almost as much as losing her to the plague did.

_"Patience."_ Faust said, jostling Asra from his brow furrowing. "You're right. Let her sleep." He agreed, before exiting the room and going back downstairs. Fumbling with a little trinket, Asra waited two hours before Julian returned. "I've put Emmcie's aunt in a place where I'm almost certain Valdemar won't get to her." He said, scratching at the nape of his neck. "Emma, Julian. Her name is Emma." Julian nodded. "How is she?" "Out cold, for now." Asra rubbed his temples. "… Did she ever tell you?" "About her childhood? Nothing." Julian shook his head. “... Well... She didn’t tell _me_ per say, but there is one thing.”

”What is it?” Asra asked, perching on a stool. “It was back in the days of the plague,” Julian said, leaving against the counter. “I was giving the Count his daily check up and I sent Emma to do it the day before as I was busy.” “Did you, now?” Asra glowered. “Hush,” Julian snipped. Neither of the men liked to think of their lady with Lucio. “Point aside, he mentioned a folk tale that she used to read when she was young. She told it to him during her visit.” “She did?” Asra was highly surprised by this knowledge. Why would Emma tell the Count about a piece of her oh so elusive past, but hide it from them? “... Do you remember the story?” Asra inquired. “Hm,” Julian thought about the conversation. “Something about a princess who thought herself to be so ugly, that she banned all mirrors from her palace for fear that she’d see herself in one as she passed by.”

Asra blinked. The Ugly Princess? What kind of a folk tale is that? “Did he say anything else?” “If you’re asking how much he knew about her, I don’t know. He said nothing more on it.” This put Asra in a rather sour mood. To think that she’d tell Count Lucio more about her childhood than him or Julian just put a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, Asra knew it wasn’t his place. If she wanted to tell him about her childhood, now she remembered, she would. At least he knew her real name, now. Julian’s heavy sigh caught his listening ear. “Come on, Asra. It’s late, let’s go to bed.” “Will she want to wake up between us tomorrow?” Asra worried. “It’s been a rough day for her.” “There’s only one way to find out,” Julian shrugged. “Come on.” _“Tired.”_ Faust agreed, and Asra finally ascended the stairs and went to sleep.


	3. Once Upon a December

The sun hadn't risen when Emma woke up from a sleep that did nothing to rejuvinate her, but rather left her more drained than last night. The feeling of two sets of arms around her only made her frown. She didn't have to turn her head to see Julian behind her, nuzzling his head into her back. Asra looked just as exhausted as Emma still felt, but the thought of going back to sleep was bitter and unpalatable. She grimaced and wriggled out of the embrace. Her memories still raced in her head, and she couldn't face either of them right now. She needed someone who understood.

Sat at the foot of the bed, thinking over who she could go to. She needed to talk, but she couldn't revisit everything. She wouldn't allow herself to do that. She just needed to cry, and know that someone gets it. Neither Asra nor Julian got it. _"Emma?"_ Came a voice in her subconcious. "Not now, Faust." She whispered back to the snake that wrapped her way up her wrist and forearm. _"Help?"_ "I'm afraid you can't. I don't want to talk about it." Faust flicked her tongue out and gave the girl a look. She clearly saw that Emma _did_ want to talk, but not with her or the boys. _"Familiar?"_ "I don't have a familiar, Faust." Emma shook my head. "I'm sure that the pets I cared for in my childhood are long dead." _"Fool."_ That got her to snap her head around with a dirty look. "I am no fool, how dare you, little hiss noodle." _"Patron."_ Faust deadpanned. Oh.

"The Major Arcana are not fond of trivial matters like this." Emma said, after apologizing. _"Try."_ Faust urged. Asra snored a little, and she whipped her head back to look at him. He just grabbed at her pillow and settled back down. "… Fine. But I doupt they'll have anything much to say." She acquiesced. Faust slithered down from her arm and lead her out of the room, down the stairs, through the shop, and into the back. Asra's deck set out on the table. She shuffled it and drew three cards and arranged them in a crossed spread. Faust watched from the side of the table, peering over the first card as Emma flipped it. The Five of Cups, upright. She winced at the meaning, knowing there was nothing more to be said from this card. The silence from the minor arcana in the back of her subconsious hit the point home. "See, Faust? Nothing more than what's at face value." Emma said with a sigh. Faust nudged her hand towards the second card. "Okay, okay.." She flipped the second card, and it was the Queen of Wands, reversed. Faust looked happily at her portrait on the card, which was facing her due to her position on the table. "Really?" Emma said. _"Queen!"_ "You know this is _my_ tarot reading, right?" _"Killjoy."_ Faust hissed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She flipped the final card, only to go reeling back when she saw what it was.

The Devil, upright.

_"See?"_ Faust hissed, happily. But Emma didn't answer. She was tracing the outline of the horns and goat ears. "…Of course." She murmurred. And with that she was gone. _"Emma?"_ Faust hissed at the place where her familiar's love no longer was.

* * *

[Once Upon A December](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez05tspM-Zc)

The palace that had looked daunting to her a month ago looked like her second home again, as she walked up to the gates. Ludovico and Bludmila, the guards who stood at their posts, looked to her suspiciously before recognizing the girl as the Countess's favorite and relaxing. "Emmcie. Of course, you're welcome to the Palace whenever you wish, but what brings you here in the wee hours of the morning?" She was about to correct them, saying that her name was Emma, but refrained when she realized they would then ask questions. "I'm in need of a solitary place to think some things over, would the Countess mind if I used my room for the rest of the night?" She lied. Goodness knows that Nadia might not think so highly of her if she knew the real reason why she was here.

The two exchanged a look and Ludovico nodded. "Yes, of course. Shall we notify the Countess that you're here?" "No need to wake her. I should be gone by sunrise. Just send her my regards when she wakes up." Emma waved them off. "Of course. Take all the time you need, Emmcie." Bludmila opens the gates for her. With thanks for the two guards, Emma entered the palace and immediately flew towards the doors in the shadow of the dark moon.

Inside the halls, the lights were dim and there was nobody. The walls that at one point told her the stories of people that passed them by were silent, as if the whole palace was sleeping. She wasn't going to her room, as lovely as the bed is… The silence was welcome as Emma navigated the halls. So many memories even from the seven years before her death. So many friends… So many enemies… She opened one of the sets of doors to the ballroom without realizing.

The vast expanse of empty space caught her off guard and before she could close the door, her mind was rushed. Before her eyes the lights went bright gold and red and people danced the floor as music played. Of course it wasn't actually there, but the memory brought chills to her. What year was this? She descended the steps and envisioned which dress she would be wearing to this Masquerade. Once upon a December...

* * *

Asra awoke when he noticed the sheets where his lady love had been sleeping were cold and empty. Julian was not far behind him. "Well, that answers that question…" The doctor sighed. Asra was silent as he rolled out of bed and ran a hand through his ivory curls. His poor, poor Emmcie. He lamented her sorrow in his mind as he went to the window. It crossed his mind that yesterday had been her birthday. At least it was the day her Aunt said was her birthday, as they'd told him that her actual date of birth was unknown. And in all the chaos and greif, they hadn't even gotten her a loaf of pumpkin bread… Wait a minute. Where was Faust?

"Faust? Where are you?" _"Asra!"_ Faust called from the stairs, having not been able to gather the energy to climb back up on her own. She raised up her head to show that her body was coiled up on the 5th step, and that was as far as she'd gotten. Thankfully, Asra heard her, and went to the stairs to collect his familiar before someone stepped on her. "What were you doing downstairs, Faust?" He asked her curiously, as Julian got up and joined the magician and the snake.

_"Emma!"_ Faust hissed, nuzzling her head into Asra's neck. _"Gone!"_ Asra frowned at this. Gone where? "Does she know where Emma went?" Julian asked, coming to run a finger down Faust's stripes. "She just says that she's gone…" Asra relayed, before noticing his cards in the back room. Hang on. He hadn't done a reading last night… "What's that?" He mused, going into the back room with Julian in tow. The three cards lay out face up, just as they'd been when Emma flipped them. Asra narrowed his eyes at them. "She did a reading this morning." "What did the deck tell her?" Julian asked. "I don't know completely." Asra replied. He couldn't know what the Arcana had told her personally, but the cards could still tell him some things.

The first card, the Five of Cups upright, marked her current situation. The implication saddened him. She was dealing with the aftermath of a great loss, and to her, the pain felt like it could consume her whole. The second card, the Queen of Wands reversed, marked her obstacle. This confused him somewhat. <strike>Emmcie</strike> Emma was not known for her quick temper, and certainly didn't unleash her rage when she didn't get her way. Perhaps someone from her childhood was like this… This troubled Asra all the more, as he had always thought that he knew his apprentice implicitely over the nine years they'd known each other.

But what particularly concerned him was the third and final card, the advice the deck had for her. The red-eyed goat glared up at him from the portrait. Even when they had defeated the devil and imprisoned him in stone, the fact that the deck would point her to him for guidance in this horrible time for her was a dangerous match to the magician. Julian noticed how Asra went from sad to concerned to worried and afraid, and looked at the cards himself. "What do you think the devil card means?" He asked, squeezing at Asra's shoulders to try and ease his fears. "I don't know." The magician ran a hand through his hair. "But even at best it can't be anything short of trouble."

"We need to find her then." Julian said, attempting to be the grounding force that he wasn't. Asra nodded, appreciating Julian's attempt. "Yes, but where to start?" "Can't you find her in the spirit realm? If she's near a body of water…" Julian suggested. He didn't really know how magic worked, but it seemed Asra had a good range of ability with water. The magician shrugged. "No harm in trying, I suppose." He went to get a bucket of water right quick.

* * *

> _The girl in the butterfly mask hugged the walls of the ballroom, looking for her only friend at this massive party. Why had she let Nadia talk her into this? Yes, unlike the refined and reclusive Nadia, she herself had yearned for the day when she could emerge from the shadows and shine in the lights of the ballroom chandeliers But this was not that dream she smiled at in her sleep every night. These people were grotesque strangers to her, baracudas schooling around a poor guppy, and she did not belong among them no matter what she'd told herself yesterday. Looking around at all the people on the dance floor, she couldn't help but hide her face more behind the the fan she carried. It was like a security blanket, and probably the only reason Nadia could get her to come out on her own. But what good is a fan when the one person she came for was nowhere in sight?_
> 
> _"Now I understand that this is a Masquerade, but I think hiding your already-masked face behind a fan is a little excessive, don't you?" Emmcie's breath hitched as she turned around to face the source of the voice. The man before her wore the gaudiest cape of fur and feathers she'd ever seen. "Uh… W-why don't you have a mask?" She stammered, caught completely off guard and having no idea who she was speaking with. “And obscure this gorgeous view, doll face?” He chuckled, making her eyes bulge._
> 
> _“You haven’t seen my face!” She turned away, embarrassed by the stranger’s pet name. “Don’t need to see your face, sweetness. The wallflowers are always the prettiest girls for miles around. Care to prove me right?” Before she could answer, he was reaching for her face! “No!!!” She screamed, hardly heard over the music and mingling people, but still loud enough to startle the man. This was enough to keep him away long enough to bustle to the nearest exit._

Had she realized then that the man who’d sought her out like that was none other than the Count, she would’ve been mortified at her actions, unable to move. Following her past self's hurried retreat from the ballroom, she closed the doors behind her. That was her first Masquerade, nine years ago. The next time she would see Lucio wouldn't be for another year. And if she'd known who he was that night, it would've been even longer. None the less she unintentionally avoided him anyway, having completely committed her time to her Aunt's shop and to her magic skills. She skipped any and all socializing with anyone whome she could avoid. Such is the only reason she ever gave Asra a second thought. As far as she was concerned he had been merely another mask at the ball. A commoner among the nobility… A charming commoner.

> _"Why do you cover your mask with a fan, my lady?" The young man asked her, bowing respectfully to who he could only guess was a member of the nobility. He'd gathered this conclusion from how ethereal she looked in her midnight blue gown. It looked more expensive than all the material things he'd ever owned combined, and she didn't seem to realize she was wearing at least his year's wages all in one night. If her dress was this luxurious, surely he had to see her mask, but what few glimpses he could get of the remarkably crafted accessory were obscured by that fan she was carrying…_
> 
> _Just as she had been startled the last time she was approached, she turned to find a head of snow white hair lowered reverently before her. "W-what?" She stammered. Why was he bowing?! And why did he call her 'my lady'?!! "What are you doing?!!" The young man rose with a look of confusion. What else would a commoner do to great a noblewoman? "I apologize, my lady. I didn't mean to offend you, though I'm not entirely sure how I have." He says, removing his simple fox mask. He wore his finest shirt and pants, along with his father's best sash and his mother's vest. A commoner indeed compared to Emmcie, and oh how it made her shrivel up in disgust with herself. "I'm not… You haven't offended me… I…" She tried to say something to him while also looking for an escape route._
> 
> _Asra was confused even more but the girl's young voice, as well as how shy she was being with him when she carried herself like the Princess from Prakra when she was alone. "You're not…" He then realized he was probably pressing on some tender subject and shook his head. "It's okay. I apologize for scaring you. I was just curious about why you're holding your fan in front of your face like that." Emmcie blinked. "…" The silence was unbearable. "It's alright…" Asra said. "You don't have to tell me. I'm Asra." He awkwardly extended his hand. She blinked at it, before awkwardly taking it. "… Emmcie…" They just stood there, hands connected and not moving, until Asra shook. How did the nobility greet each other? What was he doing, Emmcie wondered. Is this how normal people greet each other?_
> 
> _Upon letting go, she realized he was maskless. Would he expect her to remove hers?!! Oh no… "Well, it was nice to meet you, Asra…" She quivered, panicking at the thought. "Excuse me." And with that she was gone, leaving the poor boy alone on the gazebo._

When Emmcie next saw him, she was buying bread for Auntie Sabina because she was sick in bed and couldn't go out. That's what she gets for covering her face with the same fan from the masquerade. But at least he wasn't as pushy as that blonde guy. Despite the fact that she still wouldn't show him her face, he made it a point to be kind to her, showing her all the different stalls in the market, and even introducing her to pumpkin bread. And he never pressed her to lower the fan. She smiled warmly at the memory of his kindness, having never been able to think that anyone outside of family could treat her that way. The memory comforted her until she reached the abandoned wing of the ex-Count Lucio.

* * *

"Nothing." Asra violently shook his head as he climbed out of the little portal he'd made from the water bucket, splashing Julian in the process. "I can't find her. She's not near any water, not even a cup of it." Julian sighed. "Oh dear, oh dear…" "We'll have to go looking for her on foot." Asra said, going to grab his undercoat and scarf. "If she's not in the Arcana realm she has to be somewhere." "Wait a minute, Asra." Julian said, picking up Faust and following the magician. "Hold on."

"What, Ilya?" Asra said, still grabbing his things. "Don't you think she would've left a note for us of where she was going, if she wanted us to find her?" The doctor's question made the magician pause. "Don't you think the devil's card was a note in it's own right?" He replied. "Asra, we both know that Emmcie never picks up after herself. If she did then how would anyone know she was ever there?" Julian said, smiling affectionately at the ways of his darling. "I would be most worried if she was gone without a trace. That would mean something happened to her, or she was leaving with no intention of returning."

"Yes, but what's your point? Why shouldn't we be looking for her?" The Magician asked. He couldn't accept not searching for his lost love on a reason like that. "My point is that I think if we go looking for her, she'll be upset with us for not trusting her to come back. Even after what happened three years ago, she's always hated the feeling of being tethered to any place or any person. You of all people should know, Asra." Julian stated. "Think about it, she was quite upset last night. I don't want to risk her grief being directed at us."

Asra pondered this. As much as he hated to admit it, Julian's second argument really hit home. He never enjoyed it when Emmcie was distressed. He enjoyed it even less when his attempts to help only stoked her fire of fury. She was not hot-tempered by nature, nor was she physically violent or wrathful. So when she was angry or anguished, it only hurt even more. "… Nonetheless, I would rather risk her ire than the possibility that she's in danger, Ilya." Asra said, looking towards his partner. Julian hesitated, before nodding in agreement. "Alright. But if you go looking for her, I'm coming too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez this took a while I'm sorryyyyyy


End file.
